I haven't used coconut milk in a curry for a very long time, I forgot how good it was! This is a very easy recipe, and great because it's dairy free. Don't forget the mango chutney to serve.

Ingredients (serves 2)

for the curry -

- vegetable oil

- 1 onion, sliced

- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed

- 1/2 a courgette, sliced

- 2/3 can of coconut milk

- 4 cardamon pods, seeds removed and crushed

- 8 coriander seeds, crushed

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp tomato puree

- 1 tsp korma paste

- 1 tsp smooth peanut butter- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

- a pinch of chilli flakes, or half a fresh chilli if you have one

- a handful of spinach

- 1 salmon fillet

- 10 frozen king prawns, thawed in warm water

- pepper

for the rice -

- vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup basmati rice

- 1/2 a small onion, sliced

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 1 tsp curry powder

- 4 whole cardamon pods

- 6 coriander seeds, crushed

- enough boiling water to cover the rice

1. Start by making the curry. Fry the onion and garlic in a little vegetable oil for a minute and then add the courgette, all the spices, tomato puree, korma paste, peanut butter and coconut milk.

2. After 5 minutes of cooking the curry, turn the heat down to medium and begin making the rice. Keep an eye on the curry, as it might need a dash of water.

3. In a small frying pan, fry the onion in some oil and then add all the other ingredients. Place a lid on top (do not remove it), turn the heat right down and cook for 8 minutes.

4. When the rice has been simmering for four minutes, add the salmon to the curry. The skin of the fish should peel off easily after a minute or so. Mash the salmon into the curry, then finally put in the prawns and spinach. Cook for a further few minutes, by which time the rice should be ready.

Wednesday, 15 May 2013

This is a dead simple recipe that I came up with, and it tastes delicious!

Ingredients (serves 4 or 6 as starters)

for the soup -

1 small butternut squash (500g), peeled and chopped into small chunks

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped finely

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1/2 chicken stock cube and 1 vegetable stock cube

enough boiling water to cover the vegetables

for the topping -

1 tsp philadelphia cheese mixed with 1 tsp milk or 1 tsp cream

a few mint leaves, chopped (optional)

1. Start by frying the onion in a little vegetable oil for a couple of minutes in a large saucepan, then add the chilli and garlic. You can decide whether to save some of this to place on top of the soup when it's cooked.

2. Next, put all the other ingredients for the soup into the pan, and cover the vegetables with boiling water (roughly filling half of a large saucepan). Place a lid on top and cook on a very low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the butternut squash is soft.

3. Finally, wait for the soup to cool down before placing it in a mixer or blending it with a hand blender. (I left my soup out overnight before blending, which I think helped intensify the flavour).

4. Serve the soup with the philadelphia/milk swirl, or cream, and top with the chopped mint. I found that the mint complimented the butternut squash and next time I will add more mint.

Monday, 13 May 2013

Sadly I can't claim this recipe as my own. My wonderful friend Florence Clark makes these ten times better than me. They are so easy, but still sophisticated and delicious.

Ingredients (makes about 60 nibbles)

for the topping -

300g of philadelphia cheese

100g basil, chopped

6-8 tomatoes, finely chopped (less tomato juice is better)

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

2 small cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

1 tbsp good quality olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

for the base -

2 large french baguettes, sliced quite thinly

olive oil to drizzle (I used vegetable oil, student luxuries)

1. Start by pre heating the oven to 200°c.

2. While the oven is warming, cut up the baguettes and arrange the slices face down on baking trays. Drizzle with oil and place in the oven (once it is warm) for roughly 8 minutes, until golden and crispy.

3. Add all the topping ingredients, apart from the philadelphia, to a bowl and mix thoroughly.

4. Once the baguettes are cooked, leave them to cool before spreading with philadelphia cheese. Then top with the tomato mixture to make a delicious bruschetta nibble to munch on.

You can also make bigger versions of these nibbles on ciabatta bread to eat as an open sandwich.

Sunday, 12 May 2013

If you'd prefer to try the cold version of my prune porridge, try this! Unfortunately, I had run out of flax seed, so this can be made with or without it.

Ingredients (fills one jam jar, serves one)

for the overnight oats -

1/3 plain porridge oats

1 tbsp flax seed (optional)

1 tsp flaked almonds

1 tsp linseeds

1 1/2 tbsp plain yoghurt

4 tinned prunes and 3 tbsp juice from the tin

2 tbsp water

the rest milk (roughly 2-4 tbsp)

for the layered glass -

1 banana

2 tbsp yoghurt

1. Place all these ingredients, apart from the milk in a suitable jam jar. Mix thoroughly, mashing up the prunes, and gradually add the milk until a slightly running consistency occurs.

2. Put the jar in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours.

3. Remove the jar from the fridge and pick a suitable glass to do the layering. Spoon one heaped tbsp of porridge into the glass, followed by chopped banana and a spoon of yoghurt. Continue this a few times to produce a glass of goodness to wake you up in the morning.

Friday, 10 May 2013

If you're bored of bolognese, this sweet, curry inspired dish is the one for you. I opted for the easy option of serving this with boiled rice, but it works better with coriander couscous.

Ingredients (serves four)

for the sweet beef -

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

500g beef or lamb mince

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 green chilli, chopped

2 tbsp mango chutney

2 tbsp tomato puree

10 cherry tomatoes, chopped

100ml chicken or vegetable stock

8 dried apricots, chopped

50g sultanas or raisins

pepper

for the couscous -

couscous (roughly 280g - see instructions)

240ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 small handful of coriander, finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp good quality olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the groundnut oil for a few minutes and then add the meat and start to brown it, stirring constantly.

2. Next, stir in the curry powder, tomatoes, tomato puree and chutney. Cook for a few minutes and then add the stock, followed by the apricots and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and let the dish simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.

3. When the lamb has been cooking for 20 minutes, start to make the couscous. Place the couscous in a clear bowl and just about cover it with stock. Leave it for around 4 minutes with a lid or plate on top, and then fluff it up with a fork. Next add the chopped coriander (if using), lemon juice, sugar and oil, and season well.

1. Place all the dry ingredients into a jam jar, then pour in the yoghurt, water and milk. Mix thoroughly with a spoon so it resembles something like this.

2. Place the jar in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours. If you're in a hurry, eat it straight out of the jar in the morning, or spoon it into a bowl, decorating it with banana and golden syrup.

Sunday, 5 May 2013

This is another recipe using tinned potatoes, they are great! I didn't have a lot in my fridge, so decided to make something with my large cabbage. It just shows that experimental cooking is easy and cheap.

1. Heat the oven to 160°c. Arrange the cupcake cases on baking trays ready to place in the oven when the mixture is done.

2. Cream together the butter and the sugar in an electric mixer, and then add the eggs one at a time.

3. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the egg mixture and fold it in.

4. Add the milk and vanilla essence and stir gently.

5. Once everything is fully mixed, spoon it into the cupcake cases so they are two thirds full.

6. Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes. Take them out and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

7. While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the butter icing. Cream the butter in the electric mixer and then gradually sieve in the icing sugar. Finally, add the cocoa powder and scrape down the sides with a spatula, then fully mix the icing.

8. Decorate the cupcakes with the yummy icing and top with something sweet.

Selling my goodies to help raise money for our Graduate exhibition 'Fleece'. At The Bargehouse, London from 12-18th July. Open to all.